HK and Cult Film News's Fan Box

Friday, October 7, 2016

“It’s one of the few films in which 3D enhancement is justified. Each scene captures the essence of each animal so vividly that children in the audience were reaching out to the screen to try to ‘touch’ the fur." –Maricar Estrella, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

BRING HOME THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION ON NOV. 15

Get lost in the jungle with collectible packaging, spectacular 3D and new bonus features!

BURBANK, Calif., Oct. 7, 2016 — Beginning Nov. 15, the collector’s edition of Disney’s live-action epic adventure “The Jungle Book”—Jon Favreau’s stunning reimagining of Walt Disney’s animated classic—will be available to own just in time for the holidays. “The Jungle Book” Collector’s Edition offers more than just the bare necessities with collectible packaging and a three-disc set containing the original theatrical release on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, Digital HD and DVD, along with originally released bonus features and five never-before-seen extras.

The Collector’s Edition provides fans with unprecedented access to “The Jungle Book” production through exciting new bonus features, including a performance of “The Bare Necessities” by Bill Murray (voice of Baloo) and jazz greats Dr. John and Kermit Ruffins, an inside look at the collaboration between director Jon Favreau and renowned composer Richard Sherman on a new version of the classic song “I Wan’na Be Like You,” a fascinating feature exposing the visual effects magic behind some of the movie’s most memorable moments, an early animatic of the scene where Mowgli meets Kaa, and a global celebration as Mowgli and Baloo sing “The Bare Necessities.”

“The Jungle Book” has mesmerized audiences worldwide, earning critical acclaim and more than $965 million at the global box office to date. It boasts an unforgettable all-star cast, including Bill Murray (“Lost in Translation”) as the voice of Baloo, Ben Kingsley (“Learning to Drive,” “The Walk”) as Bagheera, Idris Elba (“Beast of No Nation”) roars as the voice of Shere Khan and Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) as the voice of mother wolf Raksha. Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”) gives life to Kaa, Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) provides the voice of alpha-male wolf Akela and Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”) lends his iconic voice to King Louie. Newcomer Neel Sethi stars as the film’s only human character, Mowgli.

Bonus features include*:

3D COLLECTOR’S EDITION BONUS FEATURES:⦁ The Bare Necessities: From the Jungle to the Bayou – Travel to the heart of New Orleans to swing with composer John Debney, Bill Murray and jazz greats Dr. John, Kermit Ruffins and the rest of their lively band, as they perform another version of “The Bare Necessities.” ⦁ The Return of a Legend – Award-winning songwriter and Disney Legend Richard Sherman co-wrote the music from “Mary Poppins,” “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” and Walt Disney’s animated classic “The Jungle Book.” Watch as director Jon Favreau and Sherman collaborate to create additional lyrics and record a demo for the new version of the classic song, “I Wan’na Be Like You.” ⦁ The Jungle Effect – Experience more visual effects magic in this sequence that shows the evolution of key moments from “The Jungle Book.”⦁ Developing Kaa – See an early animatic that played a part in the development of the scene where Mowgli meets Kaa and learns more about the tale of the “red flower.” ⦁ “The Jungle Book” Around the World – Join the global celebration as Mowgli and Baloo sing “The Bare Necessities.”⦁ Classic Bonus Features**⦁ “The Jungle Book” Reimagined – Favreau sits down with producer Brigham Taylor and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato to discuss “The Jungle Book” and reflect on the years they devoted to the reimagining of this timeless tale. Discover how Rudyard Kipling’s original stories and the classic animated film influenced their unique approach, witness the technical wizardry that enabled the team to create a believable and thrilling movie-going experience, and learn how they borrowed a page from Walt Disney’s innovation playbook to make it all happen. Lastly, meet the all-star voice cast who help bring the film’s colorful characters to life, as well as the musicians who accent the adventure with a majestic music score. ⦁ I Am Mowgli – Follow the extraordinary journey of 12-year-old Neel Sethi, who was selected from thousands of hopefuls worldwide to play Mowgli “alongside” some of today’s biggest movie stars. Get a glimpse of Neel’s life before Hollywood came calling, check out his audition that sealed the deal, and see how a close-working relationship with Favreau brought out his best. Plus, Neel shares how filming “The Jungle Book” was one wild ride, from working alongside imaginary animals to performing some super-fun stunts.⦁ King Louie’s Temple: Layer by Layer – So, exactly how do you create a musical number featuring one man-cub, a massive, legendary ape and an army of wild and wily monkeys in the Seeonee jungle? Viewers are granted rare and unique access to the development of the “I Wan’na Be Like You” sequence in which King Louie attempts to coerce Mowgli into giving up Man’s deadly “red flower” (fire). A fast-moving musical progression reel showcases storyboards, animatics, Christopher Walken’s recording session and visual effects layers, which ultimately merge to form one of the film’s most memorable scenes.⦁ Audio Commentary – Favreau delivers his scene-by-scene perspective on the live-action adventure “The Jungle Book” with all the candor and humor you’d expect from this multi-talented actor-writer-director-producer.

* Bonus features may vary by retailer. New bonus content is available in the 3D Collector’s Edition package only.**Classic bonus from the initial August 2016 release of “The Jungle Book”

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,” “Chef”) and produced by Favreau and Brigham Taylor (executive producer of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Tomorrowland”), from a screenplay by Justin Marks, “The Jungle Book” is a live-action epic adventure based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories, inspired by Disney’s classic 1967 animated film and centered on Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.

The film’s musical score, composed by Emmy® winner and Oscar-, BAFTA- and Annie Award-nominee John Debney (“Elf,” “Iron Man 2”), features a classic orchestral sound accented by ethnic instruments and pays homage to the original film by highlighting snippets of the classic songs we all know and love.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.